A few months ago I noticed that every hipster bar, coffeeshop and eatery I entered was playing a very specific type of music: songs that were good between 1995-2010. Hipster music and pop hits of the recent past. Early Arcade Fire. TLC's "No Scrubs." The Fugees. "Ghetto Superstar." Radiohead's "In Rainbows." I never heard any current music being played. It's as if the proliferation of good music in the Spotify Age has rendered it exhausting to even try to filter through the glut. And so we retreat to the certifiably good music that has stood the test of time (at least 10-20 years worth), like Destiny's Child or the first Fleet Foxes album.
In spite of this I have still tried to keep up with the new releases this year, and the following are some of the albums and songs I've gravitated to.

20 Favorite Albums

Christine and the Queens, Christine and the Queens

Bon Iver, 22, A Million

Explosions in the Sky, The Wilderness

Kanye West, The Life of Pablo

Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam, I Had a Dream That You Were Mine

Moses Sumney, Lamentations EP

Radiohead, A Moon Shaped Pool

Chance the Rapper, Coloring Book

Audrey Assad, Inheritance

David Bazan, Blanco

Sandra McCracken, God’s Highway

LANY, kinda

Blood Orange, Freetown Sound

Solange, A Seat at the Table

Tegan and Sara, Love You to Death

Frank Ocean, Blonde

Beyonce, Lemonade

Johnnyswim, Georgica Pond

Rihanna, ANTI

Bifrost Arts, Lamentations: Simple Songs of Lament and Hope

20 Favorite Songs

Kanye West, "Ultralight Beam"

Chance the Rapper, "Blessings"

Christine and the Queens, "Saint Claude"

Kiiara, "Gold"

Sia, "The Greatest"

The Chainsmokers, "Don't Let Me Down"

Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam, "In a Black Out"

Moses Sumney, "Worth It"

Beyonce, "Sorry"

Doe Paoro, "The Wind"

Warpaint, "New Song"

Animal Collective, "FloriDada"

LANY, "like you lots"

Solange, "Mad"

A Tribe Called Quest, "We the People"

Grace Lightman, "Faultless"

Christine and the Queens, "Narcissus is Back"

Krrum, "Evil Twin"

Marian Hill, "Down"

Blood Orange, "Augustine"

Listen to my unfinished Spotify playlist of these and 150+ more of the year’s best songs here.